A Boston College sports blog capturing the highs and lows of being a BC fan living 1,000 miles from Chestnut Hill.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Bates not going to Michigan

Multiple reports say that Michigan is finally set to hire their permanent Athletic Director and it won't be Brad Bates. Instead they are going with another New England AD who happens to be a Michigan grad -- UConn's Warde Manuel. It is probably telling of both Bates and the current state of BC sports, that I don't know what to feel about Bates staying at BC.

We just came off a winless ACC slate in football and are headed towards one in basketball. Brad Bates hired both coaches. We are also still waiting on official word of the Master Plan and Indoor Practice Facility. Bates promised both long ago. Yet as bad as things are, they are still incomplete. I don't think Addazio is going to be the next Nick Saban, but there is still hope to turn things around. I have similar hope for Christian. I also know that some of the holdups on facilities announcements are not Bates' issues. But currently things are bad and they are bad on his watch.

I wouldn't have blamed Bates if he had been offered and taken the job. Michigan is his alma mater and a great opportunity. But now the guy needs to step up. He needs to move the facilities improvements along and needs to have a list of names who could replace Addazio and Christian if they can not turn their respective teams around. His work is incomplete. But if it doesn't improve, losing him to places like Michigan won't be an issue. Our issue will be finding a new AD.

21 comments:

"needs to have a list of names who could replace Addazio and Christian if they can not turn their respective teams around" - if he is 0 for 2 on his first two hires, he should not get a 3rd. if we are at the point where we need a new FB or men's BB coach, the new AD should be the one doing the hiring.

also on his watch, a truly staggering drop in attendance and interest. we have sold out, what, 2 basketball games during Bates tenure? and probably only a few more in football. game day experience hasn't changed for the better.

what, if anything, goes on the "POSITIVE" side of the ledger? i'm not sure of one thing he can point to and say "i did this and your experience as a fan/students experience as a student/athletes experience as an athlete" are better.

The fact that Michigan went for someone from UConn is indicative of how far BC has fallen. Bates has accomplished nothing; things have deteriorated on his watch. Why would Michigan have hired someone with his track record?

Well written piece Atl - and M34's historical account is a good reminder. I saw all of that when they hired him and thought it was a very underwhelming hire at the time simply based on his track record. It just seemed they wanted somebody extremely presentable, articulate and who said all the right things about "student development". Compared to his weeping predecessor and coach mumbles - he seemed like a godsend at the time. Unfortunately, a lot of Ken Dolls served up by HR professionals and search agencies can turn out to be empty suits if the accomplishments aren't commensurate with the appearance. Mr. Bates needs to roll up his sleeves, push back, get in people's faces, right the ship here and prove his worth. He should have plenty of incentive as his career is at stake based on his performance to date.

I might also remind Brad Bates that when you are at a high compensation level - the people you hire have to comply with rule #1 when treated fairly and given their opportunity - which is they damn well better make you look good. And rule #2 is that if they do not comply with rule #1 - you get rid of them in a hurry. So who is making you look good Mr. Bates?

I don't think Michigans hire means much tbh. Michigan needs a babysitter. Everything is gift wrapped for fat boy Warde, he won't have to worry about anything except some high end fund raising. Facilities, coaches, apparel deal all set in stone for foreseeable future

El Miz - I think the Jesuits really like his "education" student athlete bit. I am sure BB is sincere about that too. But BB lacks that certain "fire in the belly" to win and he is not a good judge of talent. I guess that education talk is why he was hired??

Most recently, BB extended the term of our very mediocre Womens' Hoops coach, Eric Johnson. Johnson had 3 losing records in a row, and gets an extension??? BCI did a nice job covering this -- See BCI Article

I was recently visiting w/ one of my classmates who was a 2 yr starter for us in football, and drafted by the NFL. He corrected a false impression I had that Gladchuck hired TOB. The fact was that a special committee hired him, Gladchuck was gone and Gene yet to be hired. My point is that the best Football coach hired at BC in the last 20 years was by a committe and not the AD. Might be worth revisiting that approach. I certainly agree if both Daz and JC get canned Bates has to go w/ them.

TOB was hired on Dec. 13 1996. Gladchuk was the AD. He also hired Coughlin, York, Skinner and Inglese the winningest coaches in the Eagles history. Since joining Navy they are 13-0 vs, Army. Gladchuk was the best AD in BC and Navy history. Nice try at historic revisionism. 2. At the Fiesta Bowl they pointed out the coaches with the best all time winning records in bowls. TOB was fourth with an 8-2 record trailing Meyer and the Utah coach. But for an injury to Russell Wilson he would have been 9-1 and the best.

Well, NED is correct. I did some digging and found that TOB was officially named head coach on December 14, 1996. Gladchuk resigned to become AD at Houston on July 17, 1997. Apparently, there was a search committee involved in hiring TOB, so that might be the source of confusion.

Not revisionism. I've said in the past that Gladchuck did a good job, and that the scandal that cost him his job, was a tempest in a teapot. But he did not hire TOB, a committee did. By 12/97 Chet was a lame duck, because the scandal that got Henning fired had already taken place, and thus Chet was a lame duck, who would not be in a position to do any hiring. I brought this up to begin w/ to say that having someone other than an AD hiring a coach might be a good idea, sighting the hiring of TOB as an example. I think this shows I hold TOB in high regard as you do. So you should have no beef w/ me.

As a BC and St. X grad living in Cincinnati, Miami has almost no fan base to speak of. However, of the one or two passionate and connected Miami alums that I know well, nobody is missing Brad Bates in Cxford, OH. By all accounts from those who knew him, he's a very nice guy who returns emails and calls, but accomplishes nothing and doesn't hire well. Pretty much his tenure at BC. Mod 34B's review outlines it well.

Hiring two coaches from the MAC to come to the ACC is hardly inspiring although I think Adazzio will get things turned around. Miami's only real sport is hockey. If Bates is still here when Coach York retires maybe he'll pull off the MAC hatrick with Enrico Blasi.